High Priest (Holy Name)
The mysterious Order of Priests is supposed to be a small collection of chosen men and women around the world who must pray, nonstop, for days, weeks or months on end, to keep the barrier between our frail world and the regions of hell apart. If they would ever fail, the Veil could be ruptured and the hordes of hell could come crashing through into our world. Aspect of God: Persistence Status: Lost Order Priest Degrees The Jesuits Members of the Order of Priests are unsuitable for player's characters. They are designed to do little else than maintain the Veil between Earth and the infernal realms. They are more NPC's for the Storyteller to use, either to create catastrophe or to give advice or hints to the player's Adepts. '' Theophany: The Priests don't beat back the realms of hell itself by their own power, they do it through ritualistic chants and their prayers which call God to earth to save us all. Priests are about stopping hell, yes, but at the core of their nature, they are about asking God to come to Earth. Ranks: Priests have no Faction. There are so few of them and they are always so spread out, any type of organized activity among the Order's members is impossible. Instead, they do have a Rank system which every Priest mysteriously knows suddenly upon his initial transformation into an Adept of the Order. -Deacon -Cleric -Reverend -Bishop -Archbishop -Cardinal -Metropolitan These Ranks actually serve a purpose. Sometimes, when a disturbance in the barrier causes the Priests to have to work together to stop it, the highest ranking Priests often get to make the final decision on what to do. Also, certain members of the Order of Magdalene know of the Priests and often provide them with some of their own Sisters to help assist. The higher a Priest's Rank, the more help he will get. Facts: -Man's sin is so great, the Veil between earth and hell has been weakened - the Order of Priests is designed to stem that problem and reinforce the failing wall in the face of man's concupiscence. -Theoretically, if the Order of the Priests were to have enough members of itself dispatched, the Veil could fail and the forces of Darkness could come crashing into our world en masse''. -The Order of Priests is incredibly small, they number no more than 40 at any given time. -Priests maintain secrecy apart from all other Supernaturals, even most other Adepts (they can't afford for an Adept to turn Fallen and give away their location. Far too much is at stake). -Priests are more legend or myth to most Adepts. But most Adepts believe that, should they exist, their level of dedication would be superhuman. -Supposedly, senior members of the Orders have occasionally been caught discussing the Order of the Priests, implying they are well aware of it, however they refuse to speak on the subject. This has led many to speculate that the Order of Priests remains hidden thanks to the intentional will of the oldest Adepts in the Established Orders. -The prayers and devotions of the Priest Adepts is what generates and helps maintain the Veil. References: -http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Supernatural_Priest_Training -https://bible.org/seriespage/priests -http://www.openbible.info/topics/priest -http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12406a.htm